I heard on the radio that I70 EAST of denver was closed to the Kansas line!!
300 days of sunshine in Denver!!

Yes, lots of our storms really pound the plains east of Denver. I-70 gets icy, the wind blows, visibility is nonexistent, and the road gets closed. It is not fun to get stuck in one of those storms. My sis and I were transporting a VW bug from St Louis to Denver and got stuck in one of those solid ice storms. It was an adventure, to say the least. Actually that little car was pretty good in the snow and ice, but its heater was awful when the car wasn't accelerating.

Sorry I have been busy with work and social events over the weekend. I appreciate all of your chiming in to update me on the great Colorado skiing. I haven't had much time but I managed to read through all the new postings. I will research Winter Park to understand what it has, we're not picky about where as long as the snow condition is good. It's more about family time together. Hopefully the snow is still good then and maybe the road will be cleared and easy to drive. Otherwise, we are used to driving my SUV that comes with an all year snow tires. I suppose I need to change my rental reservation to a similar vehicle with snow tires.

Peace out: Thanks for your generous offer for the WP coupons, I may take you up on it if my kids/wife agree to skiing. Both my son & daughter are about to go through their quarter finals next week so we will be arriving on Friday March 22 staying one night at the airport then heading to Boulder for two nights, then ski or Denver. Great to hear that you get to come out to my territory for Easter (How long?). Let me know if I can answer any question or if you need a favor. I will be back in SF by then as my sister will be visiting from Europe.

I really would not worry about getting a SUV for this type of trip. We have done fine with front wheel drive vehicles in the mountains, and it really is true that they clear the roads well.
I am not a fan of the road to Winter Park when the areas down the road are not that far and an easy drive.

The road to Winter Park is Berthoud Pass. We have driven it regularly since the 70s. People assume it is worse than the I-70 Eisenhower tunnel, which we think is dead wrong. It looks like that would be the case, but not our experience driving it all these years.

On the Pass, you have more control over your own vehicle. You can go at your own speed. No tourists flying down the hill behind you, many going way too fast on slick conditions. No long uphill climb on icy road, which means some cars can't get traction again after having to stop in traffic on the hill. Also, overheating in the summer.

We avoid Eisenhower tunnel like the plague.

The pass is very well-maintained, is built with passing lanes, snow barriers, and guard rails. Of course, it can be tricky in a blizzard, as is anywhere. We have probably had a handful of extremely slow drives on the Pass, but our kids have had scarier drives on I-70.

Just had to put in my 2 cents' worth, as I get tired of hearing people say the same thing about Berthoud.

PS Another difference, once you are in Winter Park, is that it is not a collection of ski areas all plopped down into one county, next to Wendy's, Target, outlet malls, etc. Blech. WP is more a 'down home' old West place, without the slick appeal many are looking for. It has wide open spaces. That's why we like it. End of lecture.

It was closed Sunday. Probably for the third or fourth time this year. CDOT is very quick to close I-70 on the eastern plains. They have learned their lessons. Twenty years or more back, they would not close it and then would have miles and miles of stranded cars and trucks needing rescue and, of course, hindering the clearing of I-70. Now they close it pretty quick. Get the vehicles off so the snowplows have room to work. Much more efficient and gets the traffic moving quicker after the storm has passed.

PS - No such thing as year around snow tires. Snow tires are unique to themselves. You are probably referring to all season tires which are common.

Good point. I-70 does close rather regularly, including the tunnel and sometimes all the way through Vail Pass. In fact, Vail Pass closes more often than Berthoud, which I don't understand because it doesn't look challenging at all. Must be the way the storms hit it.

Remember back in the day when we all drove Loveland Pass? Now that will take years off your life! haha.

DAX, let me know as soon as you decide about skiing, for coupons for WP or Copper. I have them on my laptop and can email to you. No one else needs them, so you are welcome to them. I can probably give you 4 at either or both areas.

I leave March 28, and won't have access to my laptop then. So be in touch with me by the 24th?

We had a surprise snowstorm last night in Denver and the mountains. No one predicted it. It was pretty our last night. Bad drive this morning. But good skiing and nice moisture. It is a pretty good year to try skiing in Colorado!

Thanks for your offer to help in SF. Both my sisters live there, one in the city and one in Marin. And my son is meeting me there, so I will be good!

Definitely, I'll let you know if we decide to ski peaceout. I suppose weather will play a role too since we're not crazy about driving/skiing in the blizzard...after all that talk about snow storm..ha3x. Thanks again everyone.

Whatever you choose, here's hoping you love CO. It is easy to love it!

Hi Peaceout, it looks like both my kids are looking forward to do some skiing so I would love to take you up on your offer for Winterpark. I would appreciate it if you can send it to dax1970 at hotmail.com. Thank you.

I went on the Winterpark resort website which promotes a hotel 4 miles from the resort with complimentary transportation into the ski resort. I haven't really studied it but just want to get an opinion on where would be the best place to stay.. Currently I have a full size car reserved, do I need to switch it to an SUV if we're planning to ski on Monday (possibly Tuesday if the skiing is good)? Should I just stay in Denver for a better nightlife/dinner?

I don't think you need a SUV--even if there is snow. If there is SO much snow, you probably won't go anywhere anyway!! The shuttle to the slopes might be attractive for parking. I'm not familiar with that situation there.

Thanks Gretchen, I'll keep my reservation as is.

My wife just started to use fodors and she did not know that she's supposed to log out when she's done. So Gretchen that last posting was from me not from my wife overdhill.

Just to second Gretchen. If the snow is deep enough for 4 wheel then you ought not to be on the road, especially if your experience with 4 wheel is limited. A recently accident analysis suggested that you wre about three times more likely to slide off the road with 4 wheel than you are with a standard two wheel. Vehicle.

DAX, you got it. Will send soon. Glad you can use. How many skiers do you have?

Which hotel? There is a free shuttle throughout Winter Park, but the hotel's is probably faster because it's direct.

Our favorite hotel/resort is Devil's Thumb Ranch. It is relatively pricey, but it is has a gorgeous collection of Old West artifacts and is done in beautiful stone and wood architecture. Everything there is eco-friendly, too.

Their Heck's Tavern is good, and the Ranch House Restaurant is beyond good! Expensive, but awesome setting, service and food.
http://www.devilsthumbranch.com/

Hernando's is great for pizza. It gets mobbed after-skiing, but I think now you can call and get on their wait list. 970 726 5409

Cheeky Monk, at the 'new' Winter Park village at the base of the mountain, has great beers and decent food.

I think staying the night in the mountains is the best idea. Skiing all day, and then being able to relax, have dinner, and NOT drive home= heaven.

So long as your car is front-wheel drive, you should be good. Rear wheel drive, no.

DH was skiing in Winter Park this weekend. They got a fair amount of new snow, so you should be good.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Peaceout: Thanks, there are 4 skiers and I appreciate your hotel restaurant tips in WP as well. However, we are now thinking, for the sake of night life, maybe we should stay in downtown Denver and drive to the resort. Is it too far to stay in Denver and ski in WP? I know we're wishing to do too many things in such a short visit. Our kids are getting excited about the trip now.

Fmpden: that's good to know, so we should just stick to a front wheel drive then.

I just e-mailed 8 vouchers. If you don't need them, just let me know which ones you didn't use.

A lot of people day-trip to Winter Park, so it is do-able. You might not have much energy left, after skiing, driving, checking in to hotel, etc. But sounds like you have more stamina than me!

Just to stir up the pot. If day tripping from Denver then the Summit Cty resorts (Breckenridge, Keystone, Copper) tend to be more convenient than Winter Park. For Winter Park you have to go over Bertha Pass which is two lanes and can be slow. For Summit Cty it is I-70 and the tunnel through the divide instead of the hair pin turns on the climb to Bertha. Winter Park has good skiing but slightly more difficult to get there.